2025: What will you do with your 8,760 hours?
25 for 25!
I’ve always hated New Year’s Resolutions. They are usually about sacrifice, about giving up something; you need to stop drinking, eating, thinking bad thoughts about a co-worker, spending money, etc. They imply that there is something wrong with you. You give it a go for a few weeks or days, then give up and end up feeling worse than you did on January 1 when you envisioned a future, better self.
What if the New Year was about making you Happy instead of miserable?
The New Year should be seen as an opportunity, not to completely change your life, but an opportunity to do the things you always wanted to do but just never get around to. Getting things off your list, or trying new things can definitely make you happier.
Last year, I listened to Gretchen Rubin on her Happier podcast discuss her 24 for 2024 list. She described how every year, she comes up with a list of things she wants to do, not give up or sacrifice, but wants to do, kind of a bucket list for the year. Her list includes travel, learning, socialising, and organising.
The basic idea is to look at the year as 365 days of possibility. 365 days = 8’760 hours. Out of those you need to sleep, go to work, clean the house, eat, mow the lawn,etc. But after that, there are still a whole lot of hours in the day left. How many of those hours do you waste on a screen? You could be using those hours to do something you really want to instead of literally wasting the precious hours of your life.
Inspired, I came up with 24 things to do for 2024. Some were huge (finish my Master’s Degree), some were small(find the perfect lipstick). I taped the list to the window in my office and kept regular note on my progress, crossing things out once I had done them. I think having the list in a place where I saw it everyday, really helped me achieve a lot of my goals. Out of the 24, I managed to complete 14. Some of my accomplishments included reading 40 books, having (2) craft parties, getting rid of all the clothes I had not worn in a year, and planning a Murder Mystery party. Clearly the list is very personal, what makes one man happy….
Looking at the list of things I did not accomplish, I need to think if I will carry them over to 25, if they are that important. Some are important like getting Dolly to travel in the car without losing her shit - literally. Others are somewhat aspirational and maybe for later years like making a duvet cover out of antique fabric.
One of the goals I had was to improve my German by 2 levels, but I didn't make it. I am still giving myself credit though because I joined a German class and have definitely made improvements.
Gretchen Rubin suggests making your list a combination of things that can be done quickly and things that need more time. For the things that take more time, I would add breaking them up in steps. For example, I have boxes of my mom’s family photos and genealogy. I would eventually like to create a website for our family but it is a huge project. For this year, I have decided to do (2) things: 1) go through all the photos and decide which ones to keep and 2) scan the ones that will eventually go on the site. Breaking down a huge project makes it much more achievable and more likely that I will be successful.
You can also decide on a theme for your list. In 2025, you could make a list of 25 books to read, or 25 new dishes to cook, or 25 friends to contact, wines to try, or museums to visit. It’s endless and so much fun.
Having a list has helped me be more intentional with my time. I can tell you I watched no tv in the last days of 24 trying to get through my 40 books. I’m proud of what I accomplished and it also relieved some stress, getting things done that were always on the back of my mind.
If you would like to try 25 things for 2025, I would suggest having fun with it. What are some of the things you always say “ I should….or I would like to” and add them to the list. Make sure you have a good balance and absolutely don’t feel bad if you don’t get them all done. The point is thinking about what is important to you and starting to act on it.
All the best for a happy 2025!
P.S. If you have a recipe for a really good layered chocolate cake, please send it my way.
Tips for making a list (written)
Gretchen Rubin on How to Make a 25 for 25 list (youtube)
Download a blank template for your list (scroll all the way down)
I love your 24 for 24! You've inspired me to do a 25 for 25 list.